Isabelle Silbery was on holiday in 'paradise'. It ended with a fractured spine.

Gogglebox Australia star Isabelle Silbery was soaking up the sunshine, culture and crystal clear waters of a remote Fijian island for a week-long holiday. Sounds like absolute paradise, right? Well, it was… until it wasn't.

The 38-year-old former reality TV star was rushed to hospital after fracturing her spine on Turtle Island.

"Turns out being on a remote island is bloody scary when you have a horse riding accident, are in immense pain and don't know how serious things are," she wrote on Instagram.

Watch: Isabelle Silbery flown to hospital after holiday accident. Post continues below.

Speaking to Mamamia, Isabelle said she was enjoying a horse ride, something she'd done several times before, when her horse just "took off".

"They are unpredictable animals after all. I tried to control her to slow her down but I was being thrown violently and was holding on enough not to fall off," she said.

"I tried to stay calm but as my pelvis was being smashed up and down on the saddle, I heard a huge crack followed by immense pain, and it was then that I knew something was seriously wrong."

Isabelle said a medical evacuation helicopter wasn't available at the time of her accident, so locals stepped up to help.

"The whole island came to help, getting me on a stretcher and carrying me to my hutt before giving me pain relief. The Fijian 'mamas' stayed by my bedside, singing to me, cracking jokes and bringing me food and ice packs, even sitting on the beach overnight in front of my hutt in case I needed them," she said.

"The owner of the island, who rarely interacts with the guests, came to see me and organised my emergency evacuation helicopter, ambulance transfers, a doctor and medication flown to the island and CT scans on the mainland. He even organised one of his staff to accompany me for the language barrier and to ensure wheelchairs."

Isabelle said she was eternally grateful for their compassion and hospitality.

"I was so fortunate to be looked after in this way given the severity of my spinal injury and the potential of it being much worse, understandably my anxiety and distress was at an all-time high," she said.

"I have been processing just how quickly life can change and how much I took for granted since coming home and being so immobile."

Isabelle was enjoying a holiday in Fiji when the accident unfolded. Image: Instagram/isabellesilbery.

Her husband, Alex Richards, was also there to help with some of the more unsavoury tasks… like having to go to the bathroom (in a glass).

"The kind of commitment that wasn't in our vows," Isabelle joked on Instagram.

After being flown to the mainland for scans, Isabelle was told she had fractured her spine. And it was a terrifying close call.

"One inch in either direction and my life could've looked very different today," she said.

Recovering at home, Isabelle can't lift her baby or drive her son to school and says she's relying on her "beautiful community" to get by.

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A post shared by Isabelle Richards (Silbery) (@isabellesilbery)

While Isabelle knows she's lucky to have come home to Australia safely, she's been stung with a hefty bill and had one message to fellow travellers.

"A PSA to check your travel insurance, as ours conveniently didn't cover most activities you would do on a holiday, including kayaking, snorkelling, bike riding and of course… horse riding," she said.

In November, the TV star announced she, her mother Kerry and her eleven-month-old daughter Ruby would not be returning to Gogglebox in 2025. The fan-favourites joined the show alongside Kerry's mother Emily in 2016, before Emily later stepped down in 2023 after being diagnosed with dementia.

After being let go from Gogglebox, Isabelle had an exciting new opportunity that was set to be filmed in March. However, now her injury has ruined that.

"Instead, I have a long recovery journey and I'm feeling extremely lucky things aren't worse for me and my family," she told Mamamia. "It's absolutely heartwarming just how kind people can be during a time of crisis and how important it is having a strong community around you."

Feature image: Instagram/isabellesilbery.